The Shortlist for Bond 25’s New Director Has Emerged

The search is on for a new director for Bond 25. Last month, mere months before production was set to begin, director Danny Boyle left the project over “creative differences”. This left the production for Bond 25 is a bit of a pickle.

One of the stipulations for Boyle coming on was a script rewrite with himself and John Hodge. There are rumors that the script was the point of contention and clashes over those decisions were the reason Boyle either left or was let go. Now MGM and Eon have a big problem; they are months away from production starting and they have no director, no script, and no time.

The script needs to be written, and whoever they hire to direct is going to want time with that script to add their own personal touches. Then they’re going to need time for pre-production, because these are not movies you can just jump into. The movie is off the 2019 release calendar, and now the hunt for a new director has begun. According to Variety we have three names on the shortlist.

The first is Bart Layton. Layton made a pretty big splash on the scene earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and later at South By Southwest. His movie, American Animals, received positive reviews from critics and was picked up by a studio for distribution. It’s very common in Hollywood for smaller directors to get picked up for huge projects like Bond 25.

The second is a name that will be familiar to fans of Star Trek: S.J. Clarkson. Clarkson made history earlier this year when she was hired to direct Star Trek 4. She is the first woman ever to direct a Star Trek movie. She’s in high demand now, but she would be making history a second time if she were hired to do Bond 25 since a woman has never directed a Bond movie. The series is also getting ready to lose star Daniel Craig, so maybe something new and interesting on the way out the door would be nice. A fresh perspective from a woman in a series famous for its treatment of women. Out of the three directors Clarkson has the most experience.

The last name on the list is Yann Demange. Demange is an interesting name on this list because, according to Variety, he was on the shortlist before the studio was able to land Boyle. Out of the three of them Demange is the only one to have a meeting with MGM and Eon, but his movie, White Boy Rick, was incomplete at the time. The movie has now premiered at the Telluride Film Festival to positive reviews, so the studio has something to to check out. Variety’s sources say that a screening of the movie will be arranged for the studio heads soon. Demange, like Layton, doesn’t have a ton of credits to his name.

That being said, for all of the directors, that doesn’t mean anything. The Russo Brothers directed Captain America: The Winter Solider with only TV credits to their name. While it is extremely important to foster new talent, going from an indie to a project with a budget North of $200 million is a lot. that being said, all three of these names are interesting and could bring something new to this franchise. As for star Daniel Craig? He has an opening in his schedule, so he’s jumping on to Rian Johnson‘s latest project.

Kaitlyn is the Editor-in-Chief at Bleeding Cool. She loves movies, television, comics, and political satire. She's a member of the UFCA and the GALECA. Feminist. Writer. Nerd. Follow her on twitter @katiesmovies and @safaiagem on instagram. She's also a co-host at The Nerd Dome Podcast. Listen to it at http://www.nerddomepodcast.com